Description

"I had a vision of a faith community where people could have a wider understanding of God and our relationship to him/her. I wanted to create a place where people could state what they believe and what they struggle with-freely. I wanted a community of people who know we don't all have to agree on everything."

Jerry Herships, former altar boy who had dreamed of making it big in show biz, tended bar to make ends meet as he worked gigs in comedy and game shows, looking for his big break. After giving up the dream and leaving Los Angeles, he found his way back to the church and discovered God calling him to ministry -but not just any ministry. Now he leads AfterHours Denver, a bar church where people worship with a whiskey in their hand and make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to serve Denver's homeless. Last Call is a story of having and giving up on dreams, finding yourself, and finding how God can use you in unexpected ways.

Reviews

"Jerry Herships is a gift to the many people he serves in his life as a mentor and pastor and teacher, and in Last Call he shares his gift with the rest of us. And for that I am so grateful. Last Call is more than a memoir; it is a manifesto. A manifesto of hope for those of us who have felt left out and left behind. It is not simply the story of Jerry's life from comedian to bartender to minister—it is a picture of what we are all called to—an unashamed, unrestrained, unrestricted expression of the life and love of God." —Doug Pagitt, Pastor and author of Flipped

"Jerry Herships reflects his own call to ministry: twisted, hilarious and amazing. . . . Most of us do church in the tidy, comfortable confines of a church building. Not Jerry Herships. He's handing out the goods to drunks in bars and among the homeless in the park. Basically, my friend Jerry Pastors in the exact places I'm pretty sure Jesus would be hanging out today. Let The Church—capital T, capital C—take note." —Nadia Bolz-Weber, Pastor and author of Pastrix and Accidental Saints

"Drilling to the core of the Gospel, Herships envisions a church as a collection of flawed individuals who nonetheless are actively working as disciples of Jesus, bringing food, compassion, and grace to the poor and homeless thus restoring their dignity and sense of worth. The church he describes has nothing to do with beliefs, budgets, or buildings; it is about doing the Gospel. Herships is nothing less than a prophetic voice for our time." —Jerry D. Campbell, retired President, Claremont School of Theology

"Deeply personal and theologically timely. A moving memoir of personal transformation that illuminates the dignity of often forgotten lives while raising essential questions about what the Church sees as important." —Thomas V. Wolfe, President and CEO, Iliff School of Theology